I’m especially looking forward to Young Jean Lee ‘s piece Church. Young Jean Lee commits her writing practice to taking on impossible, dangerous and eye rolling topics. Based on my experience with her 2007 Out There Series performance, Songs of the Dragon Wings Flying to Heaven, I expect another biting look at the conventions and assumptions related to faith, race and gender in the privledged classes. I also expect it will induce shocked squeals of laughter and joyous cackles.

Here’s a clip of Young Jean Lee in conversation with playwright Richard Maxwell.

2. The Art Shanty Projects 2009: Six weeks of winter outings and art experimentation as Medicine Lake turns into a village of conceptual cottages and art experiments. There are saunas’, bike races and performances as well. The whole village comes alive on the weekends as there are dozens of artists involved in the creation of these ice shanties. Make sure you check out the Black Box Theatre Shanty and the mirco-radio station, broadcasting throughout the village.

Here are some things that we have recommended in the past:

1. The Guthrie Theatre is presenting a production of Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. Feel free to consider our series an informal companion to the Guthrie’s production (which will surely feature fine work by director Ben McGovern, actor Stephen Epp and dramaturges Micky Lupu and Max Mondi, one of our collaborators).

2. Theatre Unbound is presenting How I Learned to Drive directed by Maggie Scanlan, whose work will be featured in the Mpls Pinter Studies. This play is by the brutally honest and highly imaginative American playwright Paula Vogel. It runs November 7th through 23rd.